The Zipwake System In Use

If you're thinking of installing, or opting for, the Zipwake Interceptor system as opposed to Lenco Trim Tabs here is a pair of Zipwake 450S Interceptors in use on our Merry Fisher 895 Offshore with an overview of the associated displays.

[@richards6367]

The tip about connecting the Zipwake to the GPS is hugely helpful, thank you, I have advised my boat builder to do this.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Glad it was helpful Richard :))

[@berikco]

Nice video. I have the 300S Zipwakes for 3 years now on my Raider 18 Cuddy. They are always in auto mode. Never looked at them anymore. Boat drives so much better. Increase in top speed about 4 to 5 km/h for my boat . Fuel consumption little decrease at same speed. Trimming engines indeed does not matter so much. And i keep on dreaming of a bigger boat....the Merry Fisher 895 is on top of my list.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

I agree Berikco, the Zipwakes are fantastic and very different to our manually adjusted Lenco’s we had on the MF 795. Really glad we chose the Zipwake option. Love the Raider too and the 795 or 895 would be great choices for your next one - when probably, not ‘if’ 😁😁. Many thanks for the sub 👍

[@starportboating2381]

Thanks for taking the time to make this video guys - very informative. One question, do you still have to trim the outboard(s) or are they synced to the system?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks for that 😀 The outboards are not synced in to the Zipwake system itself and would still need manual input from the helm, but having tried to change the engine trim in small amounts to check speed and lph etc it didn’t seem to make much difference to speed or lph. This footage had NO manual trim inputs to the engines it was just the Zipwakes functioning. I guess the original set up at our dealer found an optimal position (as you’d expect) BUT as we get more usage out of the boat I’ll check that data more closely with engine trim changes/inputs as the Zipwakes function in auto mode. Soooo different to our Lencos on the MF795 we had before!!

[@starportboating2381]

@@PowerboatingAdventures okay thanks - I've never had trim tabs so will definitely consider when upgrading.

[@timdaniel5395]

@@PowerboatingAdventures You can get an auto outboard trim gizmo as well these days! Put 'automatic outboard trim' in the search box. I've got Zipwake on a 1095 but not the auto o/b trim ... it would be interesting but, I suspect, expensive !!

[@johnpenson8801]

Very interesting video. Thanks for posting. I have an Oceanmaster 720wa with a couple of 150hp Yamaha’s. Great engines and great boat except the extra stern weight trims the boat very high in the bow. As a result I have to keep both outboards fully trimmed down. Increasing fuel consumption and reducing speed. Looking to fit either tabs or zipwakes. Could you please give me an idea of cost including fitting and vat? Also you made no mention of trimming up the engines. Looking at your engine trim gauge it looked like they were both a couple of notches up from right down? Thanks again for posting and have now subscribed.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi John and many thanks for your feedback, much appreciated. We had the Zipwakes fitted as a dealer option when buying in Sept 2020. The standard was the Lenco manually changed trim tabs so this was an upgrade for which we paid £1300. To buy the pair of 450s costs about £1500 in the UK PLUS fitting costs for your info. Our engines are trimmed right down - that’s the gauge start point for our Yams. I’m planning on doing some fuel consumption/speed test using Zipwakes AND trim as first glance is that engine trim doesn’t improve the Zipwakes/Lph performance and so I haven’t yet done a close look at that relationship - stay tuned 😃😃 Thanks again - Bob

[@johnpenson8801]

Thanks Bob. Look forward to further videos and thanks for the speedy info. Appreciated.

[@markperrins9485]

Very interesting. Can you put a cost on the zip wake system fitted. Also did you own the Antares 30 fly that’s in England marina for sale. I was looking at. We have a Grandezza 27 and was thinking about something larger.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks Mark :) The Zipwakes are an upgrade on the Lenco Trim Tabs and were fitted by our dealer for around £1,300 all in fitted. To buy the same system in the UK costs around £1,500 without fitting costs so the dealer upgrade option was a good way to go for us. No not the Antares Fly - we had a Merry Fisher 795 before this one. The 895 Offshore is fantastic and would offer a bit more space than the Grandezza 27 which is a lovely boat too :)

[@giulianoalu]

Very interesting video like all the others! How do you set the engine trim?? Sorry for my english, greetings from italy!!

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks for your feedback Giuliano :) The toggle switch on the Port engine control lever raises and lowers the engines to allow you to trim the engines on the move.

[@lukeantoniou2876]

Do you leave the motor in the one position always and zipwakes do the work or do you trim the motor down as well to get on the plane?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi Luke - in Ep.10 I did some comparisons changing the trim which had minimal effect it seemed 😁

[@kensims9009]

Hello guys ..great videos.... just two questions .. why did you choose Jeanneau over Beneteau? Secondly how much fuel do use per hour / mile Kind regards ken :-)

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Thanks Ken - well they are both owned by the same people so it was just what felt right to us as the buyer. Can't really put a finger on it - we just liked the set up of the 795, that was our first Jeanneau - a personal preference thing i guess :) On the second point we've only managed 187nm's so far on the 895 and so far that's sitting at 2.77 litres per n/m which is a mix of slow and faster days out. Hope that helps :)

[@kensims9009]

Thank you.. yes very helpful.. i will look forward to seeing more of your travels ..

[@yb4537]

Hi, nice video. Did you test the zipwake ON/OFF to record the effect on performance?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi YB, The footage was with the Zipwakes running in fully auto mode on this occasion. An interesting test though if we were to run that at a later date as a comparison :) Thanks

[@yb4537]

@@PowerboatingAdventures Thanks for the quick answer. As seen on the video, 23kts at 4200rpm with Zipwake ON, do you have some test data such at 4200rpm with Zipwake OFF?

[@yb4537]

@@priors4golf the running speech about Zipwake stated ,"up to x% fuel mpg reduced+reduced pitch angle..." so Zipwake are involved in cruising, as you wrote " 2~3% out", that suppose this little worth a lot

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

@Y B we’ll get that on our list for the next trip out! FYI once the boat is on the plane then the trim tabs should be fully retracted as they wouldn’t be required in a straight line (or at least right down to 2 or 3% only). A turn to the port or starboard, at that speed, would activate the roll tab for stability but generally no tabs once planing. I’ll do some speed and other engine data in one of the next films as we’ve had a few questions on these subjects :)

[@yb4537]

Replace "mpg reduced by increased" sounds better for a better fuel efficiency...

[@ollieclark3863]

Hey man, how did you go about wiring the zipwakes to the 8410xsv? Trying to do the same on mine but very little info in the zipwake manual

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi Ollie, our Merry Fisher dealer fitted them for us when we bought the boat. I can ask him if you want. We bought the boat from BHG Marine in Lymington, UK - he’s very knowledgeable if you need help :))

[@radomarkoja6152]

hi, what modul do i need to instal them on navigation garmin 1223 on my 895, like you had?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

There are universal cables that connect external devices to your 1223 - pop into your local marine supplies and they should be able to supply the cable 😀

[@Nick_G7IZR]

Have you got a video showing the difference with them on and off at different speeds? They are showing as around £2700 now which is a lot of money so it would be nice to see what difference they actually make.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Sorry for the delay - no only what’s on the films at the moment. Yes they’re not a cheap option 😬 I agree

[@360Link]

Hello, in your experience, can you give me advice on whether it would be justified to invest in the installation of the Automatic Trim Tabs Zipwake system on my new Merry Fisher 795 s2, is there really a lot of good things to be gained with the installation of this system?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hopefully you got my reply on the other thread :)

[@63melvyn]

I assume you like the Zipwake tabs over the standard tabs

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Thanks for your comment 63melvyn and yes really like the change from Lenco's to Zipwakes. You can adjust them to fit your boats acceleration profile (the dealer set ours up) and that's it - no more manual input!! Great also when cornering as it keeps the boat at it's most stable through the curve which of course is difficult if you're trying to do that with Lenco's whilst steering!! They have a manual setting so you can alter them completely in manual mode but we prefer them sitting in 'Auto' and enjoying the scenery!! :))

[@scottthompson9220]

I have Garmin gps how does it wire in to the unit

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi Scott, These units all have the ability to wire together using the NMEA connectivity which is a set of universal plug types and extension leads that allows them to be wire linked - your local boar dealer or marine electrical pleaces would assist or of course there would be more info on You Tube I suspect as to how to connect the systems :)) Thanks for watching :)